The FIA has confirmed that Max Verstappen's gearbox has not been replaced on the Red Bull driver's RB16B following his impact with the wall in qualifying in Jeddah.

The Dutchman will therefore start his Saudi Arabian Grand Prix p3 as planned.

Verstappen's costly mistake in Saturday's shootout likely deprived him of pole position but it also sparked a wave of worries in his team regarding potential damage inflicted on his car's transmission.

Red Bull motorsport boss Helmut Marko had warned after qualifying that the Milton Keynes-based outfit's crews would undertake a gearbox change if there was a "glimpse" of damage.

But apparently, a comprehensive check has not revealed any issues.

However, there's always the risk of an unidentified gremlin lurking in the transmission's casing, as was the case for Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who had crashed in qualifying at Monaco but had nevertheless started on pole only to retire on his lap to the grid.

The FIA's note also lists a series of parts that were replaced on Verstappen's car, in accordance with Parc Fermé rules.

The team replaced the RB16B's front wing and nose assembly, a rear trackrod, the top and lower wishbones, the upright assembly, the gaitor and the PAS rack, as well as rear brake materials.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Michael Delaney

Recent Posts

Andretti fires successful opening salvo in Argentina

On this day in 1978, Mario Andretti kicked off his banner championship winning year with…

1 hour ago

Not a one-off: Hill sees multiple world titles for Norris

Damon Hill knows a thing or two about what it takes to climb Formula 1’s…

2 hours ago

Domenicali calls for calm and a plan as Ferrari eyes 2026 reset

Formula 1’s most polished powerbroker has seen this movie before – and Stefano Domenicali is…

3 hours ago

Verstappen puts Bathurst 1000 Supercar event on bucket list

Max Verstappen’s racing curiosity has never been confined to Formula 1 – and now, one…

5 hours ago

Vowles warns 2026 weight limit will catch F1 teams out

When F1’s radically redesigned 2026 cars finally roll out in Barcelona at the end of…

19 hours ago

Why Verstappen isn’t expecting much running at F1’s first test

Max Verstappen has never been one to sugar-coat reality – and as Formula 1 braces…

21 hours ago